Writing a book of any kind is an exercise in self-discipline. Writers say every novel has a beginning, an end, and a muddle in between. Continuing to write when I’m in that muddle area is always difficult, and I always surprise myself when I keep going and get through it.
Martin Roy Hill – 13 May 2020
The Back Flap
On May 8, 1945, WWII in Europe ended with Germany’s surrender. But did the Nazi Party itself surrender? Some say no.
1943: A German ship moors in a clandestine anchorage in western Mexico with a cargo of gold intended to bribe the Mexican government into declaring war on the United States. When the attempt fails, the German vessel flees leaving its gold buried somewhere along the coast of the Sea of Cortés.
1997: The horrific murder of an old flame’s husband sets former war correspondent Peter Brandt on the hunt for the hidden Nazi treasure. The search takes him down a bloody trail leading from the drug cartels of Mexico to a neo-Nazi training camp in the Southern California mountains. Along the way, he unearths a decades-long Nazi conspiracy to create a new Fourth Reich and continue the Nazi Party’s plan for world domination.
Inspired by true historical events, and recent research suggesting the Nazi Party survived the German surrender, The Fourth Rising is the latest in the Peter Brandt adventures which include Empty Places and The Last Refuge.
About the book
What is the book about?
In The Fourth Rising, journalist Peter Brandt’s investigation into the murder of an ex-lover’s husband leads him on a hunt for hidden Nazi gold and uncovers a generational plot to bring back the Nazi Party and a new Fourth Reich. Essentially, the book is an exploration into why, seventy-five years after Nazism and fascism were defeated in Europe, they are again rearing their ugly heads across the world.
When did you start writing the book?
I started writing it in the fall of 2018.
How long did it take you to write it?
Just a little more than a year. After doing three drafts, I handed the manuscript off to my editors in the fall of 2019.
Where did you get the idea from?
Inspiration for The Fourth Rising came from the work of researchers who claim that while Germany surrendered at the end of WWII, the Nazi Party did not. Instead, the party sent important members to other countries to quietly keep the Nazi quest for world domination alive, this time through economic means rather than war.
There are historical documents indicating the Nazis were, indeed, making such plans. According to Allied intelligence documents, there was a 1944 meeting between senior SS officials and German financiers and industrialists where this continuation of the party was discussed. The Nazis had the economic wherewithal to pull it off. They had millions, perhaps billions, of dollars in war booty hidden in foreign banks and caches around the world. And they had thousands of allies in South American countries, the Arab nations, Spain, and even in the United States There are U.S. State Department statements and documents from around the end of WWII saying the Nazis were planning a Fourth Reich. For that matter, government documents also show the FBI and CIA continued to search for Adolf Hitler in South America well into the 1960s because, contrary to popular belief, they were not convinced he died in the Fuhrer Bunker. Much of this was lost to history, however, when the country’s attention turned to the Cold War and a new enemy, the USSR.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Oh, yes. The whole thing. I am usually a plotter. I outline every book before writing it. I came up with the idea for The Fourth Rising while I was working on another book. But when I got bogged down on that novel, I switched to writing The Fourth Rising. But all I had was an idea. I hadn’t really plotted it out. I got to a point where I realized I didn’t know where the plot was going. Finally, I sat down and wrote what I called a denouement where I was explaining to myself the whodunit aspects of the plot, similar to how the protagonist would do at the end of an Agatha Christy novel. Once I did that, it was smooth sailing.
What came easily?
The narration. My Peter Brandt books are all written in the first person and since there is a lot of me in Peter Brandt—Brandt, in fact, is an ancestral name—it’s a little like talking to myself.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
It’s a combination. I sometimes use the physical characteristics of a real person to paint the image of a fictious character. People I met in my former career as an investigative journalist inspire some of my characters.
But other than providing that germ of an idea for a character, my characters are all fictional. Since true events inspire most of my plots, some real people come into play, but only as historical references.
Do you have a target reader for this book?
Adult readers of mysteries and thrillers.
How was writing this book different from what you’d experienced writing previous books?
I wrote all my other novels while I was employed full-time. I had to grab whatever time I could to write. I carried a Kindle tablet and Bluetooth keyboard in my rucksack everywhere I went, and when I got some free time, I’d pull them out and write.
I retired in 2018 and, even though I started my own freelance book editing business, I had more time to spend writing. Plus, I wrote The Fourth Rising entirely on my laptop rather my tablet. The bigger screen was much easier on my eyes!
What new things did you learn about writing, publishing, and/or yourself while writing and preparing this book for publication?
Writing a book of any kind is an exercise in self-discipline. Writers say every novel has a beginning, an end, and a muddle in between. Continuing to write when I’m in that muddle area is always difficult, and I always surprise myself when I keep going and get through it.
End of Interview:
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Get your copy of The Fourth Rising from Amazon US or Amazon UK.